If you purchased your Nikon D3200/D3300/D5100/D5200/D5300 or D7100/7200 begin the process of learning how to use the camera to its fullest. Learn what the buttons and dials on the camera do. You paid good money for your camera now let us teach you how to use it. This class is FREE to anyone who purchased a Nikon D3100/D3200/D5100/D5200 or D7100 from Roberts. $30 to anyone who did not purchase the camera at Roberts.

Presented By

Walt Kuhn

Cost:

$0

When:

April 16th, 2015 - April 16th, 2015

Times:

6-8pm

Where:

Roberts Camera - Downtown220 East St. Clair StreetIndianapolis, IN 46204

If you purchased your Nikon D3200/D3300/D5100/D5200/D5300 or D7100 begin the process of learning how to use the camera to its fullest. Learn what the buttons and dials on the camera do. You paid good money for your camera now let us teach you how to use it. This class is FREE to anyone who purchased a Nikon D3100/D3200/D5100/D5200/D5300 or D7100 from Roberts. $30 to anyone who did not purchase the camera at Roberts.

Presented By

Walt Kuhn

Cost:

$0

When:

March 23rd, 2015 - March 23rd, 2015

Times:

6-8pm

Where:

Roberts Camera - Downtown220 East St. Clair StreetIndianapolis, IN 46204

Profoto today has launched a new entry into its B-line AIR series lighting kits. While not quite as unique as they'd like to sell it as (it's basically the first true competitor to Elinchrom's Quadra system), it is the first system of its kind to offer Canon or Nikon TTL support, which does indeed give it quite a competitive edge as a strobe/off-camera flash solution. So, yeah, the B2, is an off-camera lightly solution that uses compact, lightweight heads combined with a compact traveling pack that make it more desirable for location work than previous portable systems have, and also make it small enough to target shooters who would normally use speedlights instead.

Profoto's take on this solution is based around a 250w/s pack that allows for true independent control of 2 flash channels (the Quadra system is based around a 400w/s pack with a fixed 1:2 output ratio between the two channels, for comparison). That's a little weak on power to target location studio lighting, and targets it pretty squarely at replacing your speedlights as a location solution instead. To further reinforce that notion is the focus on TTL lighting, complete with FP sync support (the flash heads, in fact, can fire at an impressive minimum duration of 1/15,000 second. The Quadra system's A-heads top out at 1/6000 second). The whole system is powered by a lithium-ion battery capable of delivering up to 215 flashes at full power.

The B2 is available with everything a la carte (heads, pack, li-ion batteries, cables, AC and car charger, carrying bag, etc...), but getting started you'll probably want to look at either the 1 head "to-go" kit or the 2 head "location" kit.

The 1 head to-go kit includes:

1 Profoto B2 head

1 B2 250ws Pack

1 Li-ion Battery

1 AC charger

1 carry bag for pack

1 location bag for kit

The 2 head location kit includes:

2 B2 heads

1 B2 250ws pack

2 batteries

carry pack

location bag

AC charger

It's worth noting that none of the kits come with the Air TTL remote, so, if you're looking to use this system via TTL (or, indeed, via remote at all) you'll need to pick up one of those for Nikon or Canon.

The B2 system will run $2,995 for the location kit, $2,195 for the to-go kit, $695 per head, $1,495 for just a pack (no battery), and $229 per li-ion battery. The Air TTL remote you'll need to make it all work runs $406 for either Canon or Nikon. If this sounds like exactly the sort of thing that'll rock you world you can preorder pretty much all of this here.

Well well well, what have we here? Why, it's a Nikon D7200, upgrade to the 2013 D7100 model. It's a pretty incremental bump over its predecessor, I can't really pretend it's not. The sensor is a new one, but ends up speccing just .1 megapixels more than the previous, and still lacks an optical low-pass (OLP) filter. Combined with the also typical processor bump (Expeed 4 instead of 3) you should see some increases in imaging quality, but they won't be the type you can reflect in specs. It still maintains the same ISO sensitivity range and 6 frames per second as its predecessor. The buffer speed is reported to be 30% faster though, which should help solve a common complaint on forums regarding the D7100's somewhat, er, underwhelming buffer for RAW shooters. The D7200 can now proudly buffer 18 full-size 14-bit RAWs, 27 12-bit compressed RAWs, or 100 full-rez JPGs before the buffer tanks. That's going to be the biggest improvement you see in this camera, however. The only other notable spec change is the new Advanced MultiCam 3500DX II autofocus module. The core specs, once again, remain the same with 51 autofocus points mostly covering the DX frame (and entirely covering the 1.3x crop mode frame) with 15 cross types and a center point sensitive to F8. The improvement here is in light sensitivity, and the sensor now boasts functionality as low as -3EV instead of just -2EV.

But hey, at least they built the wi-fi in this time, right?

The video capabilities have also gotten the usual incremental improvement, bringing them more inline with the D810 and D750 as far as features like zebra-striping, auto-ISO in manual, and the like go. Further towards the video vision is a new ME-W1 wireless mic with 164 foot range.

The D7200 will be available early April as a body only for around $1,199.95 or with an 18-140mm VR for $1,699.95. You can of course preorder those here. If you're looking for a solid DX-format hobbyist model in the meanwhile, the D7100 isn't much worse-specced and we still have those in stock in a variety of kits starting $996.95 (after $200 instant savings) for body only, and topping out at $1,496.95 (after a massive $630 instant savings) for a complete kit with 18-140mm VR and 55-300mm VR, WU-1A wireless adapter, 32GB SDHC card, camera bag, and a beginner's DVD. You can browse our remaining stock of D7100 deals here. But, if you're interested in those, I'd do it soon. With the new model announced, once these are gone they're going to be gone for good.

Panasonic today has announced two new Lumix lenses for the Micro Four Thirds system, a 42.5mm f1.7 portrait prime and a 30mm f2.8 macro lens with 1:1 reproduction.

The macro lens is properly the Lumix G Macro 30mm f/2.8 ASPH MEGA O.I.S. As mentioned just a moment ago (you didn't forget did you?) it's a true 1:1 macro, and with m4/3's 2x crop factor means it will have the final result of functioning like a 2:1 60mm macro. Not too dang shabby. The MEGA O.I.S. in the name means it has built-in lens-based image stabilization to help you keep things steady (though, if you're buying this to use on many Olympus bodies you'll want to turn it off, since it'll argue with the sensor-shift IS Olympus uses instead). Lens construction is pretty straightforward with 9 elements in 9 groups with just the one aspherical element mentioned in the name as the only exotic. Unlike the Olympus 60mm there's no weather-sealing here, and given the shots of it there'll be a lot less control in terms of focus limits too:

You'll be able to pick one up for $399.99 in April or so, and that means this link right here will be for preorders until then:

The portrait lens is formally known as the Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7 ASPH POWER O.I.S, and is also a reasonably standard affair. With m4/3's usual 2x crop it's a 50mm f1.7 standard lens, the OIS stabilization has the same caveats as the macro did, with the note that the "POWER" iteration is supposed to be up to twice as effective as the older "MEGA" version. Construction shows 10 elements in 8 groups, and once again just that lone aspherical lens from the name as the exotic. This, too, will run $399.99 but the availability is more like May. The link below will be a preorder until then, but if you're reading this from the future (is it everything we ever dreamed it would be, future citizen?) then it may in fact just go to where you can buy one right now. But at this boring "present" moment, it's a preorder instead.

If you're looking for a good tip on the basic maintenance that is cleaning your lenses, our own very own Jeff "JJ" Johansen has been interviewed by local business reviewer Angie's List on how to do exactly that for a how-to guide they have posted today. Go ahead and give them the click to check that out and learn how our rentals manager (who sees more than his share of dirty lenses) recommends caring for your gear.

So, this past weekend a draft of the FAA's proposals for handling drones leaked online, and given that drones are expected to be quite the large industry going forwards (changing everything from photojournalism to Amazon deliveries, if the cards fall right) it's been getting a lot of attention. Especially because right now the FAA doesn't feel technology is ready to let drones avoid collision autonomously and is leaning towards requiring they only be operated in line-of-site (which would, yanno, really put a damper on those Amazon deliveries...). It's still of course just a leaked document, not even a final proposal, and once it is, it'll still have to go through a feedback period that could take up to two years, so, it's in no way a done deal yet. But, since it's slow while we wait on things like Canon's new 5DS models to land, how about a poll? How do you feel about the proposed line-of-sight regulation? Let us know below.

This 4 week class is meant to get you started in understanding your camera. "Auto" is more than a bad four letter word! It's the wrong mode setting for you. Learn all about shutter speed, aperture and ISO and how we can change them to affect our final image. We'll teach you how to quickly find the exposure information for the photo you are about to take. Topics covered also include auto-focus, white balance and how to stop getting blurry pictures in low light. To get started in photography and learn the fundamentals, this is the course for you. Required equipment: DSLR camera.

Presented By

Walt Kuhn

Cost:

$125

When:

March 7th, 2015 - March 28th, 2015

Times:

10am-12pm

Where:

Roberts Camera - Downtown220 East St. Clair StreetIndianapolis, IN 46204

This 4 week class is meant to get you started in understanding your camera. "Auto" is more than a bad four letter word! It's the wrong mode setting for you. Learn all about shutter speed, aperture and ISO and how we can change them to affect our final image. We'll teach you how to quickly find the exposure information for the photo you are about to take. Topics covered also include auto-focus, white balance and how to stop getting blurry pictures in low light. To get started in photography and learn the fundamentals, this is the course for you. Required equipment: DSLR camera.

This 4 week class is meant to get you started in understanding your camera. "Auto" is more than a bad four letter word! It's the wrong mode setting for you. Learn all about shutter speed, aperture and ISO and how we can change them to affect our final image. We'll teach you how to quickly find the exposure information for the photo you are about to take. Topics covered also include auto-focus, white balance and how to stop getting blurry pictures in low light. To get started in photography and learn the fundamentals, this is the course for you. Required equipment: DSLR camera.